The Death Of Kayla Mueller And The Art Of The Own Goal

kayla muellerAn own goal is a term used to describe when a player scores a goal against their own—not the opposing—team in sports like soccer and hockey.

It is also the term I use to describe the phenomenon of pro-Israel advocates doing things that undermine our credibility or otherwise do harm to our noble and righteous cause.

I have noticed a number of own goals over the years. The Hamas Pedophile wedding that never was, the Paul McCartney BDSHole death threat story, and the tale of the stoned donkey spring to mind.

But in recent days, I have become frustrated over a new own goal.

A number of days ago, confirmation was received that aid worker and ISIS hostage Kayla Mueller died. A number of pro-Israel sites were very quick to point out she had a past working for the anti-Israel ISM organization.

While true, no good can come of this immediate reaction.

Here we had the tragic death of someone who probably meant well, albeit with very misguided views about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Pointing out her involvement with the ISM while most mourned her death made the pro-Israel advocates concerned look at worst heartless and unfeeling, and at best petty.

Some may argue she was being portrayed as an angel in the media, so it was important to expose the truth. I would argue so what if she was portrayed as an angel? The story was about her dying while a hostage for ISIS, not while undermining Israel like in the case of Rachel Corrie.

Besides, there’s also the issue of timing. People are still grieving over her.

Not only that, but some of the pro Israel posts on Kayla Mueller’s death are tinged with a “served her right” tone. As far as I am concerned, that is the “bicycle goal” of own goals. Naive and misguided? Absolutely. But not deserving of death.

Predictably, the Israel haters have seized on the own goal.

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/rania-khalek/israel-backers-celebrate-death-islamic-state-hostage-kayla-mueller

So guys, if you want to solely preach to the choir, feel free to continue scoring own goals like this.

It’s just that some of us prefer to be hitting the back of the other side’s net.

54 thoughts on “The Death Of Kayla Mueller And The Art Of The Own Goal”

  1. Debbie Schlussel (surprise, surprise) was particularly vicious. It is one thing to be unmoved by her death (which is not very nice to say the least) but to act celebratory is beyond the pale.

    1. Actually, there is nothing “not nice” about being unmoved about her death. People pretend all the time to be “moved” by deaths reported in the news, and the vast majority are full of it. Here we have someone, who was a member of ISM, an anti-Semitic organization. Of course, Schlussel’s approach is idiotic. Just tell the facts (about her involvement with ISM, etc.) without disparaging her or pretending to be sad that she was killed. Personally, I’m neither crying nor partying.

    2. Frankly I’m more disgusted by those who pretend they care when they really don’t. Concern trolling and victim blaming have reached a level I’ve never seen concerning Kayla. Attacking her as a person, her family, her friends, her faith and her life. “Oh if only her (bad) parents had correctly steered their (retarded) daughter who was too young to know better”. Captions mine but there’s a ton of that as well which is vile.

      I’m a liberal Lutheran but massively pro Israel. I’m one of the few of my liberal friends who stated I don’t think their should be a Palestinian state b/c:
      – The best Muslim societies integrated into their host countries. The Pew Research report showed how Muslims integrated into Europe and the US were the least likely to hold repugnant ideas like killing those who left their faith. If the Palestinians won’t integrate with Israel, move them to Saudi Arabia (unrealistic but just my opinion).
      – Palistinians even if given their own nation wouldn’t be able to govern it. The bulk of Palestinians are uneducated youth, with all the doctors, engineers, police etc having moved away.
      – Because of the above a Palestinian nation would just be the perfect breeding ground for another ISIS.

      Long winded I know but I get liberal friends who speak with me when alone…”Y’know, I agree with a lot of what you said.” but now because of Kayla they’re like, wow, do you see how vile Israeli and their US right wing supporters are? Combined with the Netanyahu visit engineered by Dermer, Boehner and Netanyahu it’s spectacularly bad timing. I still defend Israel, but currently it’s falling on more and more deaf ears.

  2. Calm down. Stop trying to get into what she was thinking. She was involved with people who want Israel destroyed. That’s the reality. Jews are dead thanks to the groups she supported.
    When idiots go hiking on the Iranian border, throw themselves in front of armored bulldozers or go to a war zone inhabited by ruthless fanatic murderers, bad things happen. I feel for their parents, not the brainless morons.

    1. You might want to reconsider waltzing on to the blog and telling me to “calm down.” There is a way to disagree, while making your point respectfully.

      1. Sorry if you thought I was being disrespectful to you, but I was surprised to hear a tinge of political correctness from you. You are worried about an article in the Electronic Intifada? That bastion of truth? She wanted Israel destroyed and supported groups that aided in killing Israelis.
        She is no different than Rachel Corrie in her beliefs and actions.
        http://www.jpost.com/International/ISIS-victim-Kayla-Mueller-Heroic-do-gooder-or-anti-Israel-zealot-390949

        1. You WERE being disrespectful.

          It is not political correctness at all. It is about not scoring own goals against ourselves.

        1. You don’t enter someone’s house and tell them to ‘calm down” just because you disagree with something they said.

  3. I imagine IBM members are very safe in Gaza or the West Bank. Syria is another matter. If my daughter said she was going to Syria I would have her institutionalized.

  4. You couldn’t be more right, Dave. The point is made more effectively coming from someone like you, as well. I think if some pro-Israel advocates would just stop and think before they say stuff, their circumspection would better serve the pro-Israel cause.

  5. i didnt know anything about mueller before she was killed,as state, the wh , her family and even isis were very, very, very quiet about her being a captive

    then i heard her family speak

    they talked about how wonderful and caring a person she was and how her life credo was “no peace without justice”

    i wondered to myself…thats a strange thing to say…especially since its the mantra of many an anti israel group

    so i googled her and found her wiki, which simply noted that she had been very active in the ism

    wiki is never a good source, so i said nothing

    then the ism made a statement about her death

    does it help “the cause” to rejoice over her death….maybe not

    but did i not see thousands of americans dance in the streets when osama was given a summary execution?

    what is the difference between mueller and osama?

    ms mueller wasnt simply “deluded”

    she was a virulent anti semite who wished to see the state of israel destroyed and her people wiped from the planet

    so please allow me a moment to rejoice over her being removed from this mortal plain by the hands of the terrorists that she loved

    and when you say that we are simply “preaching to the choir” and allowing others to use this as ammo against us, i would note that many a conservative commentator went out of their way to bash the obama admin for not doing more to free this poor american

    im sorry, but they needed to know that she wasnt worth the manpower of the possible lives lost

    1. Seriously, you see no difference between Kayla Mueller and Osama Bin Laden? I don’t have to know that much about Ms. Mueller to know that there is a huge difference between the two, Walt. You know the anti-Israel crowd will use such a statement to discredit you and others on the pro-Israel side. Why give them the ammunition to attack you?

      1. nope….see none

        both promoted terrorism

        both hated the jew

        both met the fate that they deserved

        as for the jew hating side…they will attack me no matter what…so why should i care?

        1. Not everyone who is pro palestinian hates Jews. There are those who are sorely misguided, perhaps even brainwashed, into thinking we are the oppressors and the palestinians the victims. Of course it is not true. But to characterize every pro palestinian activist as a Jew hater is wrong. I am sure many of them are, just not all.

          We have a contributor on here called Linda Todd. She used to be one of those activists.

          1. Not everyone who is pro palestinian hates Jews.

            EVERYONE who is ‘pro palestinian’ rejects 3500 years of Jewish history in favor of an invented ‘people’.

            Is this what you mean, Dave?
            You buy ‘palestinian’, you own their entire fabricated narrative.

            1. Not everyone is aware of those facts.

              I am carefully choosing my words, which are based on over 12 years of Israel advocacy and encounters and conversations with all kinds of people.

  6. While I agree with your overall point and had to stress it myself in other venues, I do believe that it is appropriate to raise the issue of her ISM membership in the context of searching for answers as to how her parents knew more about her circumstances than either the U.S. State Dept. or Intel Community. Maybe that was all just a smoke screen to protect sources and methods but everything that I’ve read and watched on this issues makes mention of the fact that her parents had direct communication from the hostage takers and they (the parents) brought the proof of death photos/info to US authorities for confirmation. That is pretty extraordinary considering the circumstances and her not being a member of a major news organization or NGO w/ significant resources.

    I think some of the other issues like her parents lobbying Obama to commute the sentence of Lady Al Qaeda in exchange for freeing their daughter can be explained as an act of parents doing whatever they can to get their daughter back.

  7. Hard Little Machine

    Yes of course there must have been some good in those death camp guards who were hanged after the war. They were good husbands and the women were noble and proud Germans doing their duty.

    No just like this loon who killed three Syrian Americans in Chapel Hill, the left is simply left mumbling at its own shoes that one or two of their own are/were murderous psychopaths. One mowed down Muslims and the other threw gasoline bombs at Jews. And they are murderous psychopaths borne of the very world view and belief system beaten into their heads by the left for a generation. Trust me if she had pulled a Rachel Corrie the left would be calling for atomic annihilation of Israel.

  8. The International Solidarity Movement, of which Kayla was an active member, is an increasingly key player in the movement to deligitimze Israel. It has increased antisemitism around the world and not only made life uncomfortable for Israelis but has played a role in the murder of Israeli civilians. It was because of her involvement with ISM and her trip to Israel (to help ISM’s stated goal of destroying the Jewish state) that she went on to Syria. The fact that all of the main stream news media failed to mention any of this is a scandal. There are extremely important questions to be asked and lessons to be learned because it gets right to the heart of the hypocrisy about the world’s understanding of Israel and the Middle East. Indeed, if only more people had actually exposed the activities of organisations like ISM then Kayla – instead of being brainwashed by them – woulld still be alive today doing genuine good for humanity. I therefore totally diagree with the suggestion of self-censorship in this case and, personally, am very happy with the story I posted about this:

    http://edgar1981.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/painting-terrorist-supporters-as-human.html

      1. The time and place is now. Fact 1: Kayla’s death is the story. Fact 2: the organisation that placed her in danger is known for its brainwashing of young naive people like Kayla and for its support for anti-Israel terrorism. Putting the two facts together can finally expose ISM in the main stream media and the damage it is doing to impressionable youngsters. Result: 1) people better understand the fanaticism and lies of Israel’s opponents and 2) future Kayla’s are spared her ordeal. In 4 weeks time nobody will be interested in any of this and ISM will be sending its new set of recruits to stone Israelis and stop their kids going to school. Netanyahu – after offering his condolenses – which he did – should have followed up by making the above points. The Israel haters would have hated him no more than they do already, while others would have learnt something important even if it was not the (false) message they wanted to hear.

        1. I understand what you are saying but I don’t see this influencing the very few “true-believers” that already hate Israel and are willing to head to war zones to further that cause. They are just going to ignore/spin your effort to educate into something nefarious and then use it to whip up more hate by saying you’re stomping on get grave. I think you can avoid that end of the criticism while still educating by waiting a few weeks or months. Just my opinion.

    1. I have written about the ISM about as much as anyone else. Do a search on this blog if you don’t believe me.

      I would respectfully suggest that the only people who appreciate your blog post are the diehard Israel supporters. I am in the business of getting to those who are not there yet.

  9. you have a point …but only to a point. After which I disagree.

    you must point out clearly what this misguided girl was doing. the enemy bashes us all the time and then we bash ourselves by not speaking the truth, by letting these things slide because someone said it is unbecoming.

    your analogy is very close to the collective stockroom syndrome that has kept Israel constantly on the defensive.

    this girl was a terrorist supporter. stop playing word games.

    1. How right you are. I suffer from stockroom syndrome myself. I’ve got cases of canned peas stacked to the ceiling in my basement right now.

    2. Great, and now you can getting patted on the back by the choir. Meanwhile those undecided about Israel or who are otherwise intellectually honest are wondering “What kinds of people are going to attack this dead girl?”

      1. it doesn’t have to be an attack.

        you guys are not winning friends on that side of the spectrum. you can not win an argument with the leftists.

        you are pandering and it is unbecoming.

        1. There is nothing pandering about it. It is called being smart.

          I assure you this website with the approach I have stated will continue to be more effective at winning over new people to the cause than you and your choir approach.

          1. I like your site, still I disagree about this story.

            Why can’t you say what she is? If you can tell the truth then you are self censoring.

            I want the truth. I don’t want some one to tell me this girl was a good person. She was aiding the enemy and was not noble.

            The truth is the only thing that should motivate the story.

            good luck

  10. Norman_In_New_York

    My reaction on finding out about her background was that she was like a moth who got too close to the flame to which she was attracted. I don’t consider that observation to be disrespectful, I don’t fault her for wanting to aid Syrians who have suffered four years of mind numbing brutality and I certainly hold ISIS solely responsible for her death.

  11. Respectfully disagree. Dave knows very well we at war and its much worse than people think. Just like I want mainstream media to show again and again and again the ISIS beheading and burning videos, I want the world to know that if this is what they do to ‘one of their own’, what can we expect. In Universities in Califorina, Studen Union reps claim Netanyahu is Hitler, Hamas and Sharia have arrived there. In Durban, Studen Union leaders put forward a desire to expel ALL Jews.

    All we do is write Letters to the Editor.

    BTW, the hypocrisy of the media, they had. O problem showing dead babies up close in Gaza, but ISIS murdering people? Oh no, our audience is too sensitive for that. They showed the fake Al-Dura video ad nauseum.

    I am the son of an Auschwitz survivor whose extended family was destroyed there. No more, and I don’t give a damn if the Corries or Muelkers are offended.

    Finally, Dave, love what you do, ?? ?????

  12. Hard Little Machine

    More to the point, sans any identifiable ‘aid’ group she may have been working with or for, what precisely on god’s grey earth was she doing there in the first place and how are we to know the precise circumstances of her capture? What’s to distinguish her from any of the Islamo war brides who pack up and go there to spread their legs for Allah? Just because YOU think she ‘meant well’ doesn’t mean she did.

    1. She had a local “boyfriend” that with in Syria (she was supposedly working as a hospital volunteer) who she met through ISM and they were supposedly snatched at a roadblock. The boyfriend was quickly released when they realized he was local- although another story says he turned her in to save himself- and then she was supposedly presented to a local ISIS leader as a war trophy/forced wife.

  13. Predictably, the Israel haters have seized on the own goal.

    We’ve noticed that Israel/Jew haters will seize on whatever we say…..

  14. I agree, Dave, and was surprised when I saw something along the lines you described. I am prepared to believe Kayla Mueller was well-meaning, if wrong. The story of her death while a hostage of ISIS has nothing to do with Israel, and we should butt out. Inserting Israel into the Kayla Mueller story will not bring any positive for Israel, will make us seem not much better than the bloodthirsty who celebrate the deaths of Israelis/Jews anywhere, and only divert from ISIS’s depravity.

    1. I am prepared to believe Kayla Mueller was well-meaning…..

      Cause anyone who accepts the ‘pal’ narrative at the expense of Jewish history is ‘well meaning’?

  15. She was a self absorbed, spoiled and over-educated leftist little bitch who got what she deserved. She supported the destruction of Israel. That means she supported genocide.

    I guess she thought her being pro-Muslim would save her… it didn’t, and I wonder what she thought when she was “given” as either an extra wife or slave mistress to some Muslim terrorist… as she was seen post kidnapping in the presence of the same Muslim man.

    She is the perfect example of the leftist who always thinks that if you praise the crocodile or hate who the crocodile hates (in this case Jews) that you will either not get eaten of you get eaten last

    Hey Kayla… you still get eaten. May this Rachel Corrie wannabe rot in hell.

  16. While perhaps it would be more comfortable if some people did not state the truth (in this case, the truth about Mueller), the truth can not be suppressed and will always come out. In the end, too, people appreciate the truth and understand that those who suppress it, do so for self serving means, perhaps out of hypocrisy.

    SO my suggestion is to get used to it and not to be too troubled by what Electronic Intifada says (as if they wouldn’t have something to say on it anyway) . Free speech is a bitch, an uncontrollable, outrageous bitch that sometimes crosses the lines of good taste and decorum (just get ready for the comments about the latest youtube flick from the Shomron) . We don’t have to laud those who point out Mueller’s past connections to ISM, but perhaps we should reconsider before we condemn them. Maybe they were a bit quick…..or perhaps we are just feeling a bit slow today?

    1. A number of pro-Israel sites were very quick to point out she had a pastworking for the anti-Israel ISM organization.

      This is expressing joy?

      1. Certainly not!!! Stating the truth is, IMO, perfectly fine. Any one pointing our Mueller’s past, as long as the facts are correct, is, at the worst, a bit inopportune, at best doing a big service in putting the eulogies in perspective. (and I tend to think the latter).

        I haven’t seen anyone gloating, but I am sure there are those who did (the web is a great big place). I tale issue with Aussie Dave in that there is nothing non factual about discussing Mueller’s past associations in that they are very relevant to her tragic end. Mueller could have just as easily gotten hurt or worse in a demonstration near Ramallah for she had a history of searching for conflict.

  17. The real issue is this girl was obese. If she just learned to put down her fork, she wouldn’t have had to go around the world to find people who pretended to value her and give her self-worth.

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